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Tuesday, 21 June 2016

SWAZI LGBTI PEOPLE LIVE IN FEAR

A gay club has been formed in the Northern Hhohho region of Swaziland to
help tackle prejudice in the kingdom.

‘The motivation to form the gay club is to address stigmatisation
suffered by homosexuals who cannot find immediate safety amongst their peers,
parents and the community at large,’ the Swazi
Observer newspaper reported on Monday (20 June 2016).

The newspaper reported club president Nkhosinati ‘Fly’ Dlamini saying, ‘We
want to inform our immediate family members and friends that we are here and
proud. They must also know that we are not sick or confused it is just that we
are people who want our basic human rights. We don’t want to live in fear.’

The move comes shortly after a searing condemnation of
Swaziland’s violation of the rights of LGBTI (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
and Intersex) people was made to a United Nations group.

It stated, ‘As a result, the few organisations that
seek to advance the rights and welfare of LGBTI people, such as House of Our
Pride and Rock of Hope, are forced to operate under a fiscal sponsor, usually a
larger organisation dealing with HIV/AIDS or gender issues to avoid official
scrutiny. Rock of Hope which has been successful at acquiring formal
registration did so under a cloud of fear to fully disclose their full mandate
and nature of their beneficiaries being LGBTI persons whose existence is denied
and prohibited by the state.’

The report to the UNUPR was presented by Rock of Hope
jointly with three South African-based organisations.

The report added, ‘In Swaziland sexual health rights
of LGBTI are not protected. There is inequality in the access to general health
care, gender affirming health care as opposed to sex affirming health care and
sexual reproductive health care and rights of these persons. HIV prevention,
testing, treatment and care services continue to be hetero-normative in nature
only providing for specific care for men born as male and women born as female,
thereby leaving out trans men and women as an unprotected population which
continues to render the state’s efforts at addressing the spread and incidence
of HIV within general society futile.’

The report added, ‘LGBTIs are discriminated and
condemned openly by society. This is manifest in negative statements uttered by
influential people in society e.g., religious, traditional and political
leaders. Traditionalists and conservative Christians view LGBTIs as against
Swazi tradition and religion. There have been several incidents where
traditionalists and religious leaders have issued negative statements about
lesbians.

‘Human rights abuses and violations against members of
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex population continue to go
undocumented, unreported, unprosecuted and not addressed.’

It added, ‘There is no legislation recognizing LGBTIs
or protecting the right to a non-heterosexual orientation and gender identity
and as a result LGBTI cannot be open about their orientation or gender identity
for fear of rejection and discrimination. For example, the Marriage Act, only
recognizes a marriage or a union between a man and a woman. Because of the
absence of a law allowing homosexuals to conclude neither marriage nor civil
unions, same-sex partners cannot adopt children in Swaziland.’

The report made seven recommendations to the Swazi
Government, including to review laws that undermine LGBTI persons’ rights in
particular and human rights in general especially as they conflict with the
Constitution; and to ensure prosecution of State agents who commit human rights
violations against LGBTI individuals and their organizations.